DVC Is it worth it????

[leggZ523]

My family has been a DVC member since 2001. We have enjoyed visiting the different resorts, especially Hilton Head. Last May was our first trip there in a Studio. We currently have 230 points. We spoke to several families, who were not DVC members and found out that they were staying that week in a 2 bedroom and paid $1,300 for the week. They told me they got this deal through AAA. After the trip we applied for a Disney Visa card so we can get Disney dollars. Then we decided to book our trip to Hilton Head for April 2005 in a 2-bedroom. Since we did not have enough points, we wanted to pay cash and take my parents, in hopes of trying to sell them on the idea of DVC. Our DVC discounted price was $187.50/night plus tax. Last week we received our Disney Visa bill and inside was a coupon for $159.00/ night plus tax for the same week. I called DVC and felt that DVC members should get a better rate than non-DVC members since we pay maintenance, etc... They said they could not give us a better rate and suggested that we take the coupon discount, which we did. How can I sell this DVC membership to anyone, when non-members are getting a better rate? Am I looking at this DVC membership idea the wrong way?? I know the idea is around using points - that week in Hilton Head for a 2-bedroom is 280 points, which cost $23,000 plus maintenance($1,200/yr) in today's prices. Since we are splitting the difference with my parents, it made sense to us to use cash, $600 each.

 

[reesecup]

I am very curious about this too since my DH and I were getting ready to make an offer today.
I am a big bargain shopper even when it comes to trip planning so, I would really like to know if we would probably come out better with me searching for those great deals.
ie: for this Dec. I found the ASMovies (I know that is no comparison to the DVC resorts) for $55/nt and savannah view AKL for $160 / nt. I think that was a pretty good deal. I will say this though, the kids kind of had fun with the oversized toys (we stayed in Toy Story) but I was not impressed with the room whatsover! And I would love to be able to get a 2BR or even GV and take our family with us in the future. But, is DVC really worth it? Do you not end up paying more in the long run with all the maintenance fees?????? I just think that what happened with you, should not happen to someone who is committed to stay with Disney. I think they should work really hard to look after the members. IMHO.

 

[spiceycat]

disney's HH is up against some stuff competition - the Marriott's - they have several along the ocean - disney is not - and they are just as lovely.

so unless it is summer their pricing of rooms will take a hit.

Sorry.

the winter rates use to be $99 for a 2-bedroom.

 

[crisi]

HH and Vero Beach have had great cash rates in the off season. If you are buying to go to HH or VB in the off season, it may not be the best idea. However, you pretty much need to be a member to stay at these resorts during popular times of year - at some times of year it helps if its your home resort!

WDW properties: Occationally OKW rooms have gone for good cash rates - and I may have missed some bargains at other resorts, but most of the DVC resort cash rates have been pretty pricey. If you start comparing DVC to a moderate using codes it becomes harder to break even strictly on dollars - but the DVC resorts are better compared to the Deluxe resorts several of them share facilities with. There have been good rates there the past several years as well - but I still did better on my BW two bedroom factoring out the total cost to me than I did on two rooms at the WL the year before (about $1700 for seven nights opposed to $2300 for seven nights at a $149 rate). There are two additional factors no one can price out for you:

1) The Code Hassle Factor: how much is it worth to you to not have to code hunt and hope for a good code. One of the things a lot of people like about DVC is leaving the code hunt and attendant "gee, I hope a good code comes out for May" worries behind.

2) The Inflation Factor: Disney has been discounting rooms for the past several years, who knows if they will continue or how much room rates may raise over the next ten/twenty/thirty/forty years? DVC lets you "lock in" your room rate. Dues increase over time, but historically have increased less than room rates, and on a much smaller cost (i.e. 5% rise on my $600 in dues rather than a 10% rise on my $1800 hotel bill).

 

[tjkraz]

DVC is all about prepaying for your accommodations for decades to come. If you want to gamble that AP codes and the types of discounts you are seeing now will continue indefinitely, so be it. A lot of people do just that.

But if the discounts disappear in another 5 years, folks then wanting to buy into DVC may be paying $120 per point for only 33 years of ownership. I'd rather buy at a lower cost now and get more years.

 

[dianeschlicht]

DVC is all about prepaying for your accommodations for decades to come. If you want to gamble that AP codes and the types of discounts you are seeing now will continue indefinitely, so be it. A lot of people do just that.

But if the discounts disappear in another 5 years, folks then wanting to buy into DVC may be paying $120 per point for only 33 years of ownership. I'd rather buy at a lower cost now and get more years.

EXACTLY!

 

[bongo59]

your looking at it all wrong..........DVC was created for WDW..........not HH this is precisely why i tell everyone not to buy HH unless you need the 11 month window for the summer...........DVCers should look at HH as a place for a change up...........if it is your families known wanted long term destination.........stay on cash or buy marriott..........not DVC..........HH and VB were designed to give DVCers an offsite change of pace...........it was not designed with value in mind at all..............

 

[WolfpackFan]

I don't look at my DVC ownership in the light of whether it's a good deal or a good financial investment; rather I view it as I'm prepaying for future vacations for many years to come. This applies to both our VWL and HHI points. I will be retiring next year and my income will be less than it is now; but I know that I will still be able to enjoy several great vacations each year. And after we're too old to travel my DD and/or DS can enjoy the same benefits until the contracts expire. I could care less if others are able to book the same accomodations for cash at a great rate - good for them. Sure I wish the HHI resort was right on the ocean, but then again I kind of like the sound views also and I think it's neat that it is right next to the marina with it's shopping complex. There is one thing for sure, I know by having HHI as a home resort, I can get a unit the first week of August every year; which you can't say if your home resort isn't HHI or you're paying cash.

 

[tinkerbee]

The way I see it is this... I paid $10,600 for my contract. My dues are around $560 a year. With trips I have taken with DVC if I would have paid cash would have cost about $10,700(w/o any discounts). I've been a member since 2001 so total would be roughly around $15,300(dues plus contract). With the trip we are taking in May if it were cash would be around $3640. So that brings my total to $15340 give or take a couple hundred. So in my mind after my trip in May any trip I take will cost me $560 a year to stay in very nice rooms about 2 weeks a year. Not a bad deal.

It really depends on where, when and how often you want to stay. For us it's a great deal. For others it might not be. If it were not for DVC there is no way we could go once a year and stay any where else other than a value resort if even that. Don't get me wrong I like the values but if it's 5 nights in a value or 12 nights in a studio...I'll take the studio. Thats what we are staying in this year a studio at OKW. My dues of $560 would pay for about 2 nights now I have 12 for 148 points and two left for next year.

 

[Cruelladeville]

I don't know if DVC is a good idea or not, I guess it depends upon whether or not you think luxury is worth more than the $55 per night that you paid at All Stars. God knows that I think almost anything is better than that . I bought 170 points in 1997 for $54=$9180. I can sell those same 170 pts now for $76=$12,920, which means I would make +$3740. My maintenance fees for 7 years on those points, were less than $4 per point=$680 X 7=$4760. I subtracted the +$3740, which means that in 7 years of vacations, I have paid a total of less than $1000. Can you get any hotel rooms for 7 years for less than a total of $1000?? NO!

And that's the short answer to whether DVC is worth it or not.

 

[Caskbill]

Remember that weekends at DVC resorts require more points than just weekdays. It looks like you're staying 7 nights. Did you consider using points for the 5 weekday nights, and then using cash for the weekend nights.

HH 2-B/R in April, weekdays is 28 pts/night. 5-nights would be 140 points. Maintenance fees on those points would be about $600. The other two remaining cash nights (using the VISA special), including tax would be about $344, for a total of about $944 for the week instead of the $1200 full cash rate.

During the week DVC beats anything else out there, especially in the off-season times. AT HH in January a studio (weekday) is only 6 points/night: That's about $26 dollars in dues. You'd have to get a cash rate of about $24/night + tax to get the same thing.

We personally like going to OKW during Adventure seasons (Jan, Sep, 1st 2-weeks in December). We get a 1-B/R for 16 pts/night. That's about $60/night worth of dues. (total; remember, no tax) Compare that to the $55/night rate at the all stars (almost $62 when adding tax) but also consider this is a huge apples to oranges comparison.

Granted we have the advantage of having family in Florida that we also visit. We'll see them on the weekends (avoiding the higher points costs as well as avoiding the more crowded days at the parks), and then go back to Disney for another 5-day week.

At DVC the total aggregate points for a resort can never change. The regular WDW hotels do and will continue to increase rates. Historically they have risen much faster (in total dollars) than the increases in DVC dues.

 

[cherie68]

Hi still thinking about joining DVC The last thread was great. I wish I could do the math like that I guess it takes time to know how it works , cash instead of points. I am still worried about if 180 is a good amount points. I do agree that if you want value than stay off Disney grounds you get what you pay for. You might save on one thing spend it somewhere else. .

 

[RAD]

All I know is that whenever I've checked for rates at WDW DVC resorts I'm smiling inside since I know I don't have to pay >$500 for a 2BR at BWV.

 

[wordzylady]

When we bought into DVC in 2002 we didn't do any mathematical calculations are play the numbers game to figure out if it was right for us -- although realizing that we could have paid for our 250 point contract with the money we had spent at WDW the four years prior was in the plus column. For us it came down to investing in great family memories at a place we love to spend time with our son and looking forward to in a few years the empty nest relaxing vacations that the hubby and I will enjoy ourselves for years to come.

 

[dcfromva]

leggZ523,
I always price out my DVC accomodations. If there is a better cash deal, then I will go with the cash. It is only an occasional exception that I can find a better cash deal--but, I always want to make sure I am getting the best mileage I can get for my points.
The $99.00 plus tax per night (weekdays AND weekends) for a 2BR unit at HHI last fall (and also the year before) is a good example . Folks also receive daily housekeeping using this cash rate (That would be an extra per day charge using points). It is beyond me why they don't offer a similar rate to DVC members...
I really loved HHI the first time we visited in August 2002. It is a beautiful resort. On subsequent visits, we stayed in the December and Jan on cash rates. It was still a beautiful resort, but it was also off season and not exactly warm (I know, it was wintertime ). I wonder how they keep that resort full all year round keeping in mind that DVC has sold points for all year round... Apparently, it works out somehow...

-DC

 

[disney junky]

I agree with Bongo. You can become obsessed with trying to save a buck. I figure I paid my fees and the vacation accommodations are now free. We all understand that finances are only one aspect of our decision to become DVC members. I actually bought to force us back every couple years. Otherwise, I'd be searching and searching for the best deal and before I knew it, another year would be gone and we wouldn't have made a trip. I can't say that my DW and DS and DD are nearly as obsessed as I am, but they are thrilled with the idea. Worth is much more than $$$$$

 

[BrentKohl]

I think everybody brings up some relevant points. DVC is especially worth it if it fits your particular vacation patterns and type of accommodations. It's also a hedge against what it could potentially cost to stay in similar accommodations in the future. It's an arrangement that encourages you to get away and take a good vacation from time to time, and gives you the flexibility to do it when it works best on your calendar. A by-product of that is, hopefully, a lifetime of special memories that are priceless. All of these are things that make DVC seem worth it to me. But I will add even one more thing to the list -- the ability to play the game of the whole DVC point system! The one thing I never imagined when I bought into the DVC is how engrossed I would become in that whole game...and I thoroughly enjoy it. It seems I'm repeatedly exploring different scenarios of how to utilize my points. When and how will I use them, what gives me the best value, when should I rent them, when should I borrow, should I get a really nice accommodation for one big trip or should I go smaller and then take two vacations, and so on and so forth. I love my vacations, and I enjoy the planning that goes into them. The combination of all of those things seems to make life fun and, therefore, my DVC ownership is worth it.

 

[NJDVCFan]

We just bought in about a year and a half ago. Well, let's say I, because my wife wasn't too hot about the idea, but I made the decision to go for it. We have 2 young girls who love many things Disney, and I knew that this would mean many trips for them. It also means, if we get burnt out on too much Disney (yeah, right?), there are other options for us. We also hadn't taken too many vacations recently, and now we "have" to.

To me, our 250 points almost paid for themselves already. Using almost 2 years of points, we were able to spend 3 days at BCV during the week after Easter last April, and then do a 3 night cruise on the Wonder. We joined with about 10 others down there already from my family and celebrated my parent's 40th anniversary. So, in a way, you can say our purchase is paying dividends already.

 

[QUACKHEAD]

your looking at it all wrong..........DVC was created for WDW..........not HH this is precisely why i tell everyone not to buy HH unless you need the 11 month window for the summer...........DVCers should look at HH as a place for a change up...........if it is your families known wanted long term destination.........stay on cash or buy marriott..........not DVC..........HH and VB were designed to give DVCers an offsite change of pace...........it was not designed with value in mind at all..............

Bongo...you are a HOOT! I just follow you around waiting for you to say whats on my mind!

 

[bongo59]

i guess thanks???? i just say what i think.............and what i do